A column posted on Newsmax, a conservative news outlet, has been taken down.  Apparently, there are some limits.  The column doesn’t technically advocate for a “civilized” military coup to remove President Obama from office, it just suggests that such a move might be obligatory since soldiers take an oath to protect the institutions Obama is putting in jeopardy.  The column admits “it’s not an ideal option.”

I believe in free speech and I don’t believe any sanctions should be taken against the author.  But you can be damned sure that if this was a left wing writer calling for a military coup to remove Bush, the word “treason” would have been bandied on some websites – including Newsmax.

The author’s name is John Perry.

Talking Points Memo has the text of the column.  Here’s a sample:

Military intervention is what Obama’s exponentially accelerating agenda for “fundamental change” toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.

Newsmax is a conservative site, but not fringe.  I’ve never seen “mainstream” discourse take such low roads. Never.  On today’s page, their columnist Glenn Beck is once again calling Obama a Nazi.  Not on Newsmax, but also in the “mainstream” discourse, a conservative pol calls Obama the “enemy of humanity.”

Yes, left wing demonstrators said the similar things about Bush.  But they were fringe, without significant influence in a major party.  These people aren’t.

Addendum: And for good measure, the latest RNC fundraising letter compares Obama to Stalin and Kim Jong Il.

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